Planned Malaysian Citizenship Law Change Threatens To Render Children Stateless

SEMPORNA, MALAYSIA - MAY 23: Children play volleyball in a graveyard in the so-called "floating village" of Bangau-Bangau on May 23, 2024 in Semporna, Malaysia. The proposed changes to Malaysian citizenship laws, which were initially met with widespread criticism and backlash, included five amendments that were deemed regressive by civil society groups. These amendments aimed to alter the country's citizenship laws in ways that could potentially lead to statelessness and hinder the automatic entitlement to citizenship for certain groups, Malaysian news sources said. The law has been dumped after lawmakers from the ruling party also criticised it, particularly its potential to render children stateless. (Footage by Mailee Osten-Tan/Getty Images)